In telephone network central offices and other places served by electricity, electric power is supplied m equipment energized thereby through circuit protection boards comprising circuit breakers and current conductors between which such circuit breakers am coupled to be interposed by such conductors between a power source and the electrical load provided by such equipment. Customarily, the circuit breakers were connected to such conductors by the time consuming and labor intensive (and thus costly) practice of bolting the terminals of the breakers and the conductors together. More recently, them have come into use circuit protection boards in which, as an alternative to bolting, the circuit breaker terminals and the mentioned conductors am cooperable to permit the incorporation of a circuit breaker into the board by, in effect, merely plugging in the breaker. Up to now, however, a problem in the use of such plug-in technique has been that, in the event of an inrush of current to the circuit breaker caused by a short circuit in the load, the heat generated at the place of contact between the circuit breaker and the input conductor has not been dissipated as efficiently as is desirable so as to cause an unduly high temperature at that place of contact.
An additional problem which has arisen in connection with such circuit boards is that the load terminal of the breaker has been electrically coupled m a cable distributing the current from the breaker to a load by way of a distribution device using custom inserts pressed in a PWB, the PWB having 3 oz. copper paths, a terminal strip and an insulator, solder connecting all three pieces together. However high current caused by a short circuit in the load opens the current path of the PWB distribution device, rendering it useless and requiring costly replacement of the entire device.